From the Edges – Identity – A Morning Devotional

From the Edges – Morning Devotional
Pastor Calvin Cook
April 19, 2024 – Identity
Scripture focus – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Sometimes I get it, and sometimes I don’t. At last night’s Bible Study, I got it loud and clear. Admittingly, we struggle. We struggle with who we are, where we are in our faith, and in our worthiness to be called a child of God. We struggle with redemption and if we have received all the is offered to each of us individually. So, I guess you might say we struggle first with claiming the identity and what identity we will claim.

A simple way to look at it would be this. Our physical features are inherited by our parents. We carry on in some way the physical features of our ancestors. The other day when I was getting my hair cut, as the clipped hair was falling into my lap, I thought, my clipped hair looks like my Dads’. Little ways we are reminded of the physical identity we have but what about our inner identity, in our soul, in the private corners of our life, what or who are we identifying with.

In the scripture shared this morning from 1 Corinthians, we are reminded just as the Apostle Paul was reminding the church at Corinth that our identity must be in Christ the Lord and not in the world or in anything of the world. This becomes essential to our life not only in this life, but throughout and into eternity. I ask the question what are you claiming as your identity, Christ the Lord or all the turmoil, confusion, and circumstances of the world. I am not claiming or endorsing totally ignoring responsibilities, working, or solidarity. What I am asking you is to look seriously at understanding how the world will consume you. Because our identity is in Christ, we can overcome any of these situations. It will be essential for our identity to be in Christ.

I know what I am speaking is not going to popular even conceived as rational by those outside this belief or commitment, but Paul realized that as well when he wrote in verse 18 “for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” My Brothers and Sisters this is what we must claim as our identity.

Remember you are not who the world says that you are, when you are in Christ, you take on the features of Christ in the way you live and have your being.